Anita Hill, University Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's Studies at Brandeis University, will be the keynote speaker for the 2017 Community MLK Celebration in January. Hill is a leader in both the civil rights and women’s rights movements and an expert on the complex and often challenging issues of race, gender, and workplace discrimination in America. In 1991, Hill made sexual harassment in the workplace a national issue when she testified that Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas had committed sexual harassment against her.

Hill's keynote speech is set for Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theater. Please arrive early and join us for a pre-event reception at 5:30 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public - tickets are required. A book signing will follow the address.

Update: As of 1/5/17, this event is SOLD OUT. The day of the event, any unclaimed tickets will be released at 6:20 pm at the door to patrons in the standby line.

"Reimagining Equality: Inclusive Communities in Post-Obama America"

In 2008, politicians, academics and pundits hailed Barack Obama’s election as proof that any child could grow up to be president regardless of the color of his skin. It was for some the dawn of a post-identity America. Gone was the need to discuss differences. Indeed, as late as 2016, commentators claimed that racism was a thing of the past. Surprisingly, Donald Trump’s election has been interpreted to suit a similar end. Trump's victory has been flaunted as a command from the American people to stop talking about identity, especially gender. Neither position is realistic. With so many measurable inequalities that can be attributed to identity, choosing anything other than a robust pursuit of an inclusive community with equality as its core is unthinkable. But as the recent presidential election makes clear, a new group, white, middle-class and mostly male, has claimed a place in identity politics and the political and social landscape has changed. But rather than abandon our quest for an America that lives up to its promises of equality, we must redouble our efforts and think new about how we address questions of equity, including sexual harassment and assault, gender and racial economic gaps, and leadership disparities.